Confinement Sites

The Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study (JERS) staff concentrated on Tule Lake, Gila River, and Poston/Colorado River, with minor involvement at Topaz/Central Utah, Manzanar, and Minidoka. Material was also gathered from temporary detention centers, primarily the Tanforan and Tulare centers located in California. A complete list of confinement sites and temporary detention centers is available on the National Park Service website.

Topaz Relocation Center, also known as Central Utah Relocation Center, was in operation from September 11, 1942 to October 31, 1945. At the time of its closure, Topaz had in its custody over 11,000 individuals. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2007.

Poston Relocation Center, also known as Colorado River Relocation Center, was in operation from May 8, 1942 to November 28, 1945. Poston was the largest of the ten confinement sites and consisted of three separate camps built at three-mile intervals.

Gila River Relocation Center was in operation from July 20, 1942 to November 10, 1945. The site was the secondary focus of the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study, with Tule Lake being the principal focus. At its peak, the site had nearly 14,000 individuals in custody.

Manzanar Relocation Center was in operation from March 21, 1942 to November 21, 1945. Nearly all of the individuals in custody were from Los Angeles, California. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1985 and a National Historic Site in 1992.

Minidoka Relocation Center, also known as Hunt, was in operation from August 10, 1942 to October 28, 1945. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and designated a National Monument in 2001 and a National Historic Site in 2008.

Tule Lake Relocation Center was in operation from May 25, 1942 to March 20, 1946. It was converted into a maximum-security segregation facility following the "loyalty" registration. The site was the principal focus of the Japanese American Evacuation and Resettlement Study and the topic of The Spoilage. Tule Lake became part of the World War II Valor in the Pacific National Monument in 2008.